Great Britain 1914

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Transcript of Great Britain 1914

Britain's Involvement in World War I God Save the Queen Who are Britain's Allies? Triple Alliance and The Ottomans Triple Entente Commonwealth Triple Entente How does Germany’s increase in battleships (Dreadknoughts) affect Britain? Britain's Mainland was an island.Being an island country, any invasion targeting them would begin at sea. Many countries are coastal, and are to a degree threatened the same way. During the tension between the British Isles and Germany, the germans seemed to be preparing for a coastal war with us when they were constructing Dreadnoughts , forcing us to produce more ships ourselves. In 1900, the British had a 3.7:1 tonnage advantage over Germany; in 1910 the ratio was 2.3:1 and in 1914, 2.1:1. Germany had almost caught up to the British Navy. But Britain had remained at double the size of Germany’s. How does the industrial rivalry affect Britain’s relationship with Germany? Britain and Germany both had skilled trade based economies that were dependant on having their resources shipped in. They were also dependant on shipping out their wares to other countries for money, and being cut off from trade could ruin their economies. From 1871 onwards, Germany was going through rapid industrialization which rivaled the British industries on every front. So naturally, the two countries competed when distributing their goods internationally. Soon the British carrying services were against German merchant ships. What imperial rivalries does Britain have with Germany in Africa? In an effort to expand their kingdom’s territories, Britain, Germany, and France had all pushed and expanded to make African countries into newer colonies. This so called “Race for Africa” occurred between the 1800’s and WWI and was a precursor to the Boer war. What are britain’s interests in the middle east, and how does this conflict with Ottoman Empire? Britain wanted to have the largest offense possible in the middle eastern theatre (especially in the area of the Persian gulf where the Ottoman Empire was situated) after Russia declared war on the Ottoman Empire. Furthermore, the British navy depended on the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) located in the Middle East. In 1913, Winston Churchill moved the naval forces away from coal power in favour of oil. About 50% of the APOC was owned by the British and it was one of the biggest oil companies of the time. The protection of the oil pipeline from the Ottoman Empire was vital to keeping the British navy running. Canada Australia India Canada still did not have control over her foreign affairs in 1914. When Britain went to war, so did she, with little dissent. Canada had been in an economic depression for some time. When military careers had become available, many flocked towards an opportunity to have steady pay. Australia recently had their governor general resign. Many Australians felt great patriotism towards mother Britannia . "Australians will stand beside her own to help and defend her to our last man and our last shilling"When Britain declared war, they happily invaded new guinea and forced them into surrender. India had a long running history long before becoming a british colony. Having a healthy population, it had the opportunity to send over 1.3 million soldiers to fight for Britain.They participated in Ypres, and the British Expeditionary Force. Russia The British opinion of the Tzar Family had drastically changed in the time leading to World War 1. Coming from different backgrounds and ideologies, it was unusual for Russia to ally with western european states. But here's why.Russia and Britain both wanted to destroy the Ottoman Empire. They already had plans to Colonize it, including buffer zones and separate states. France Political map of Africa immediately prior WWI What treaty does Britain have to protect Belgium’s Neutrality? The treaty of London, also known as the Scrap of Paper. It was a treaty signed on 19 April 1839 between the European great powers, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Kingdom of Belgium. Under the treaty, two European powers recognized the independence and neutrality of Belgium and confirmed the independence of the German speaking part of Luxembourg. It was important because of Article VII, which required Belgium to remain perpetually neutral, and by implication committed the signatory powers to guard that neutrality in the event of invasion. The British Isles and France neighboured each other. When the first airplane crossed the channel, many felt that a link had been created between the countries. The English were exposed to french food and wine, and the French were introduced to English sports. They had become tied culturally and when Germany Invaded Belgium the English were quick to defend both of their allies.